Mario Andretti to serve as Grand Marshal this weekend

Mario Andretti

Race legend Mario Andretti will serve as Grand Marshal for the 10th anniversary Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, held April 5-7 in Birmingham. Mario Andretti is considered to be one of the greatest race car drivers in the history of the sport.

In its 10th year, the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, the only IndyCar race in the Deep South, is a signature event on the NTT IndyCar Series circuit. This year’s event will feature nine races over three days, including Lamborghini, Formula 3, Porsche, and the final race with the IndyCar cars on Sunday.

About Mario Andretti

Andretti was born in Italy and moved to the United States at age 15. His love for the sport began at age 19 where he raced stock cars in his hometown of Pennsylvania. Andretti took 111 checkered flags during his legendary career including wins at the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500 and the Formula One World Championship, an unprecedented trifecta of wins that no other race car driver has achieved. Over a career that has stretched five decades, Andretti has won every level of motorsports racing including midgets, sprint cars, dirt track cars, stock cars, IndyCars, Formula One, Formula 5000 and sports cars.

“We are honored to have a racing legend of his caliber as our Grand Marshal for the 10th anniversary of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by AmFirst," stated George Dennis, president of ZOOM Motorsports, the exclusive event promoter of the Barber Motorsports Park. “Mario’s energy and presence will add to the milestone event, and we’re excited for what is shaping up to be the most memorable Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama yet."

Additionally, Mario was named Driver of the Century by the Associated Press, knighted by his native Italy, added to the Library of Congress Living Legends list and given the title of “The 25 Coolest Athletes of All Time" by GQ Magazine. He was also in the first Pixar Cars movie voicing himself.

Andretti’s duties as grand marshal of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama will include announcing the widely recognized pre-race command, “Gentlemen, start your engines!" to kick-off Sunday’s race for some of the biggest stars of the NTT IndyCar Series including grandson Marco Andretti, defending champion Josef Newgarden, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Will Power, Graham Rahal and more.